Police arrest man on allegations of sex with a minor

By John Colson

Sopris Sun Correspondent

Carbondale police on Monday arrested a 24-year old Carbondale man on charges that he had “consensual sex” and other “inappropriate contact” with a local 13-year-old girl.

Daniel Rodden was arrested after a relative of the alleged victim contacted Carbondale police back in late August or early September about the relationship, according to Carbondale Police Chief Gene Schilling.

Schilling said it took that long for police to compile sufficient evidence to convince a judge to issue an arrest warrant. Part of that evidence, he said, was “forensic” information, meaning it was based on scientific analysis, worked up by the Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s office.

A summary of the investigation, provided to Carbondale Town Manager Jay Harrington, indicated that the relative’s complaint indicated that Rodden was “having consensual sex” with the 13-year-old girl, who has not been identified by police due to her age and the nature of the case.

The pair also was alleged to have been “exchanging nude photos and videos by cell phone,” the summary stated.

Rodden currently is being held in lieu of payment of a $75,000 bond, according to the jail’s website.

Schilling, in a press release following the arrest, indicated Rodden initially was arrested on a “no bond warrant,” but that a judge decided to set bond when Rodden made his first appearance in court on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

Rodden is charged with three felony-level crimes — sexual exploitation of a child; Internet luring of a child; and sexual assault on a child.